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Actor Ross Butler accused of conspiring to kill Isiah Silva in order to obtain a Kurt Cobain guitar

Actor Ross Butler, who plays Reggie Mantle on the hit CW drama Riverdale, has denied accusations that he was involved in a conspiracy to murder Francis Bean Cobain’s ex-husband, Isaiah Silva, according to court documents.

Silva filed a lawsuit in May against Courtney Love, her manager Sam Lufti, and several other men including Butler, claiming that he was the target of a murder plot in an attempt to retrieve an acoustic guitar that once belonged to Kurt Cobain. Silva had previously been locked in a legal battle with Cobain and Love’s daughter, Francis Bean Cobain, over the 1959 Martin D-18E guitar Kurt had used during Nirvana’s iconic MTV Unplugged performance.

Butler admitted to showing up at Silva’s home with Lufti on the night in question, but that’s about it. Court documents indicate that Lufti told Butler he was concerned about Bean Cobain after receiving “troubling text messages.”

Butler issued a statement denying claims he was involved in a plot to commit a crime.

“I never entered into a conspiracy or otherwise agreed to commit any crime against Silva,” Butler said. “I never conspired with anyone else to murder or kidnap Silva … or take possession of a guitar that Silva claims Ms. Cobain gave to him as a gift.”

Court filings indicate that Butler says he was greeted “calmly and amicably by Silva” upon entering his home on the night in question. Butler also said Silva appeared “frail, emaciated” and that both he and the house had a “bad odor.”